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| ★★★★ |
=Synopsis: Advertising director Charles Schine is just another New York commuter, regularly catching the 8.43 to work. But the day he misses his train is the day that changes his life. Catching the 9.05 instead, he can't help but be drawn by the sight of the person opposite. Lucinda Harris: Charming, beautiful and a seductively good listener, Charles finds himself instantly attracted. Their journeys into work become lunch dates and eventually lead to a rented room in a seedy hotel. They both know the risks they are taking, but suddenly their temptation turns horrifically sour, and their illicit liaison becomes caught up in something bigger, more dangerous, more brutally violent.
***
Review: Derailed is a fast paced action thriller which is easy and read and you'll find yourself simply unable to put it down. The suspence does not let up for a moment, evoking a sense of a clock counting down towards whatever fate awaits Charles Schine - a fate which becomes increasingly bleak as his life unravels in a spectacularly gripping way. While the book begins in third person, it soon moves over to first person narrative. I'm not entirely sure why this method was employed, nor what purpose it really serves, except for a slight dissociation between characters it might encourage so as not to spoil part of the ending too early. Either way, the first person narrative works wonders in this text; the whole story is a reminiscience on past events which are highly unlikely (and thus exciting to read.) The air of disbelief and irony permeating the narrator's tone as he decants to the reader the particulars of his experience allows for way to believe the events in the story he tells. You need not suspend disbelief to engage with this surreal thriller, because the author voices that disbelief for you, and makes it a part of the story. Any reader couldn't help but get wrapped up in the tale Charley Schine has to tell.
The other characters, (who, understandably are not a central focus in the mind of a man whose world is falling apart) are not neglected and while I didn't necessarily care for many of them to any great degree, they certainly weren't a hinderance to the book. On reflection, this is probably another testament to the writing ability of the author. Charles' estranged wife Deanna seems distant and hard to get to know - understandably, she is after all estranged from the voice of narration. His daughter, Anna, terminally ill and undergoing treatments at home, is one of the initial sources of unhappiness that leads Charles to his doom, in turning his attention away from his stressful family to the lovely Lucinda. While I didn't dislike Anna, I could certainly feel Charles' burden and almost empathize with his need to look elsewhere for comfort. Everything about the novel is crafted to perfection into the mind of Charles Schine. For the small role he plays, I still think Winston is probably my favourite character - especially in the movie. Watch out for him.
I had seen the movie Derailed (Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston) prior to reading this book. As such, I already knew what was going to happen - and given that the book relies as much on it's twisting plot as on it's captivating characters, I was naturally wary that the book might be spoiled to some degree for me. And while I am disappointed I didn't get to read it without knowing what happens, it's certainly a credit to the author's ability that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of just reading the book anyway - it's just THAT well written. A note for those who have read the book but not seen the movie - watch it. While Jennifer Aniston may not be the most perfect Lucinda, she does a great job and regardless, Clive Owen simply IS Charley Schine. The only problem I had with the book at all in fact was how dragged out the ending was. The actual events are a great wrap-up, but I think the movie cut the scenes to perfection, where the book simply rambled on a little too much. Perhaps it was just because I knew what was going to happen, and it took it's time getting there, but I still feel 20-30 pages less would have been good. All the same, it in no way detracts from the quality of the book as whole, which I would recommend to any fan of action thrillers.
Rating: 4/5
